Twenty-three years after a military plane crash in which more than 159 officers lost their lives in Ejirin swamp in Lagos in 1992, then military ruler, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) has finally spoken on the ill-fated incident.
Babangida, in an exclusive chat in the maiden edition of The Interview, disclosed that the crashed aircraft ought not to have flown on that specific day, based on the issue of maintenance and number of flying hours already attained.
Responding to a question posed by The Interview on what actually transpired on that day and if the crash was properly investigated, the 73-year-old former president said, “It was investigated. It was reported. But you guys had a mindset. Certain people had a mindset; nobody was interested in the report. But it was investigated. What happened in sum total was that the aircraft should not have been flying. There are mandatory stages, number of hours and maintenance. All those things that are mandatory were not there.”
When he was asked on what happened to the people who authorised the plane to fly on that ill-fated day, Babangida said there was no penalty meted out, adding, “They ought to have been punished. I know that blame was apportioned. I wouldn’t know about the punishment. We investigated; we even apportioned blame but no penalty.”
On why that was so, he simply remarked, “That is the Nigerian factor.”
Responding to inquiries on who killed renowned journalist, Dele Giwa who died from a parcel bomb blast, Babangida said, “A Bomb”.
Responding to inquiries on who killed renowned journalist, Dele Giwa who died from a parcel bomb blast, Babangida said, “A Bomb”.
When asked in the interview on who sent the bomb, he replied, “Would you ever think somebody could sit and ask a soldier or anybody, go and kill that kill that man?”
Upon the interviewer’s response that “It depends….”, IBB was quoted to have replied, “It depends on who? If what you hear about other African leaders is anything to go by, you are right to believe that it could happen because of what happened in the case of the Mobutus of this world. But there is also one human being who believes in God, who believes you cannot take away life, who believes that God forbids you to do that, who believes that God created you equally. Somebody of that nature cannot, in all fairness order the execution or killing of another person.”
When he was pressed on his relationship with late Dele Giwa, Babangida replied, “We were friends. Very soon, somebody is going to accuse me of saying he is my friend. I knew him very closely. I have correspondence between him and me. But that is not enough for you to believe that we were friends. What is enough is that I took a bomb and killed him.”
When The Interview countered that “There was a general feeling that he knew a lot of military guys and knew more than he was supposed to know….”, IBB cut in……”That he knew we were dealing in drugs and Gloria Okon. Somebody should have come out with it by now. He must have left some manuscripts.”
When The Interview countered that “There was a general feeling that he knew a lot of military guys and knew more than he was supposed to know….”, IBB cut in……”That he knew we were dealing in drugs and Gloria Okon. Somebody should have come out with it by now. He must have left some manuscripts.”
When he was asked if he suppressed the investigation, the former president replied, “There was a report on that investigation if you may be interested to know.”
On the interviewer’s remark that witnesses in the investigation were apparently hidden, Babangida replied, “No. Most of what you guys talked about was fictitious. Even one of the persons you guys said was involved does not seem to exist. Gloria Okon; she does not seem to be in existence. - currentnewsnow
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